Change happens. It’s a fact of live. We all experience it and deal with it in different ways. Some prefer the status quo and constantly guard against impending change. Others turn a blind eye to the world around them and stay in their comfort zone. They don’t notice problems until it’s too late. Some reluctantly move on and others remain behind and hope that things return to “normal.” Those who move on may find a new source of comfort. Those that remain behind typically find failure. The book “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Dr. Spencer Johnson addresses these issues.

We see this exact behavior in sales professionals. Some salespeople constantly look for new opportunities, prospect, and work to keep a full pipeline of leads. These salespeople consistently have business to work on and rarely deal with the peaks and valleys. Unfortunately, however, most salespeople work on the wish or hope system. “I hope something will happen” or “I wish something will happen.” Seeing strong sales and manufacturers’ incredible incentives they stop looking. They go through the prospects they have in front of them. Ultimately, they realize there are only a few left or they’ve completely run out. They wait essentially until it’s too late to act. So, which are you? Do you always look for opportunities, or do you wait for something to happen? Which way do you want to work – smarter or harder?

When everything is rosy, sales should be booming and the showrooms should be busy. So, it might seem odd to say that NOW is the time to look for new opportunities. The truth is, however, that salespeople should always be looking for opportunities – prospecting – even in good times. Proactive salespeople always look for leads so that they never run dry. Reactive salespeople wait for something to happen.

Looking when it’s too late takes too much time to pull off. Looking now for opportunities (prospecting) is a lost art and many don’t understand its purpose or how to prospect. Prospecting is about building a continual pipeline of opportunities and referrals that flows continuously, in any time. It is the key to increasing traffic without increasing expenses. Mastering the art of prospecting can build a rock solid base of clients and deliver a steady stream of referrals, most of which bring a significantly higher closing ratio.

Prospecting pays off, over time. Prospecting might not lead to immediate sales; it has to be executed over and over, every single day. Today, everyone is looking for instant results; instant gratification. This won’t happen with prospecting, but if salespeople are persistent the long-term payoff will be huge. Sometimes that’s why they stop doing it. If you stop doing it, it stops working.

Why don’t salespeople prospect? One reason is the long-term nature of prospecting. It lacks instant gratification. Or perhaps it’s the belief that it’s someone else’s or the manufacturer’s job to have not only the best product, but incentives that bring people in to the dealership. Some are afraid of rejection, but a real salesperson is not afraid to talk to anyone. Who is talking to your customers? Another may be that you really don’t know how well your prospecting is working until a requested first-time customer comes in…but then, the realization hits. Working with a prospect that asks for you by name translates into a lot less work. Another reason may be that salespeople rely on management to bring in their traffic. While management should provide 30 first-time customers to each salesperson monthly, salespeople have a responsibility to bring in a minimum of 10 additional, requested cultivated customers through prospecting. This then, creates a pool of 40 opportunities to draw from. If salespeople bring back 50% of those unsold customers as be-backs this increases their total opportunities to 56. Combining the be-backs and prospects the potential to close increases without any expense increase.

Prospecting has three primary results: an appointment for an immediate sale; referrals to new prospects actively looking to buy, and creating future prospects. Successful prospectors know that while there are many approaches, the best methods are in-person (personal), telephone, and written communication. Yet today, most salespeople don’t have the first idea about how to prospect successfully.

This is where managers, as the coaches and leaders come in. The first step is to focus the team on the overall goal – changing the variables they control, beginning with driving traffic – and then to change their mindset. Develop a game plan and create opportunities for the team to practice, play and win. It’s like Vince Lombardi says, “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”

The importance of team. Think of a professional football team. They practice for hours at least five days a week to play a single, one-hour game. The team who wins is not always the biggest, fastest, or best, but the one who goes in with a well-rehearsed game plan and then executes it. Practice, Play and Win

Change the mindset. Teach the team to prospect – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, yes even in your sleep. Take them out into the field and train them. Then be sure the team views each individual who enters the showroom as a customer with the ability and intent to purchase.

Assign a dollar value to each customer. Every potential customer who comes to the dealership has the power to increase your paycheck along with the dealership’s gross.

Create a mindset so that every individual who comes into the showroom is viewed as an opportunity and client. A client is somebody who buys all their products and services from you and sends referrals – friends, relatives, colleagues, etc. Would you rather have a client or somebody who buys from you just one time?

Salespeople cultivate customers through prospecting and referrals; they convert customers into clients by establishing and maintaining a relationship that allows them to build a sense of trust. It’s this trust that allows clients to rely on the salesperson for advice, and allows the salesperson to secure more referrals and sales.

We have seen over and over again, that when sales managers make the commitment to let APB helps them train their teams, the pay back is tangible and exponential.

The bottom line is A.B.L. Always Be Looking – every single day, not just when the business is bad or down. Prospecting needs to become an automatic reflex, like breathing, an act that happens successfully and continuously. With a positive mindset, a view toward the future, and the right training, salespeople will understand the need and will continue to Always Be Looking for opportunities and loyal clientele, regardless of how business is doing.

Richard F. Libin has written two acclaimed books that help people of all walks of life improve their sales skills, because as he says, “everyone is a selling something.” His most recent book, Who Knew? (Who-Knew.com), was published in early 2017. His first book, “Who Stopped the Sale?” (WhoStoppedTheSale.com), is now in its second edition. As president of APB-Automotive Profit Builders, Inc., a firm with more than 48 years experience working with both sales and service professionals, he helps his clientele, through personnel development and technology, to build customer satisfaction and maximize gross profits in their businesses. Mr. Libin can be reached at rlibin@apb.cc or 508-626-9200 or www.apb.cc.

About Richard Libin

Through more than 30 years of experience, Mr. Libin has come to believe that education must be a long-term investment not an expense; that no longer can a business capture a good share of the market simply by having a quality product. His leadership in adapting new technologies for improved sales and service performance has helped thousands of businesses differentiate their operations from their competition, maximize profits, and develop their people.